First-Place Firebirds Host Greyhounds in Big-Time Division Showdown Friday
Published on March 18, 2022 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release
Flint, Mich. - The Firebirds are set to play two critical games versus two key opponents Friday and Saturday night in Flint. First up is a West Division rivalry meeting with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Friday. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m. (ET) at the Dort Financial Center.
Flint continues to impress, putting together their best season in franchise history while rewriting several figures in the history books. This is the record fifth-straight week the Firebirds have been recognized in the Kia CHL Top 10 rankings, most recently at #9 out of the 60 teams in the CHL. The team also set new records for road wins (22) and goals scored (133) on the road over the past few weeks. With 10 remaining home games, several more records are bound to fall. In last Saturday's game versus the Guelph Storm, Brennan Othmann scored his 39th goal and is now tied with former Firebirds' standout Ryan Moore for the most goals in a season in franchise history. Luke Cavallin also picked up his 29th win between the pipes and is tied for the most wins in a single season with 2019-20's starting goaltender Anthony Popovich. Rookie Coulson Pitre holds the record for the most goals and points by a rookie in Flint's history, now with 20 tallies and 39 total points.
The Firebirds enter the weekend on a three-game winning streak, ranked first in the West Division and first in the 10-team Western Conference They carry a record of 35-16-1-3, and they've gone 8-2-0-0 in their past 10 games with a home record of 13-10-0-1. The Soo enters Friday's contest ranked third in the West Division and fourth in the Western Conference with a record of 31-18-6-1. They're now 5-3-2-0 in their past 10, and they carry a 12-11-4-1 record in road games this season.
Friday marks the third of five meetings between these clubs, and the first of three games to be played in Flint this season. Thus far, the Firebirds have won one game in overtime and lost one in a shootout versus the Greyhounds. All-time, the Birds are 13-17-1-1 against the Greyhounds and 6-8-1-0 on home ice in the series. Through two meetings, Brennan Othmann (2 G), Zacharie Giroux (1 G, 1 A) and Sahil Panwar (2 A) are the three Flint players with a point per game. For the Soo, Cole MacKay tops the stats with four points (1 G, 2 A), followed by St. Louis Blues' prospect Tanner Dickinson (2 G), and Kalvyn Watson (2A).
On special teams, the Birds are converting on 19.3% of their power-play chances, which is the 14th-best in the OHL. The Greyhounds have the league's second-best power play, scoring at a 26.6% clip. On the penalty kill, Flint ranks second at an 83.9% efficiency and the Hounds are tenth-best, killing 79.7% of their penalties with success.
Promotions: Friday's game versus the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds is another "4-Pack Friday" at the Dort Financial Center. All fans can get 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs and 4 soft drinks starting at just $72! Additionally, the first 2,000 people will receive a free drawstring backpack courtesy of Dover Doors. Great seats are still available for purchase on ETIX HERE.
Players to Watch:
Flint Firebirds (34-16 -1-3, 1st West Division):
Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) ranks first on the team and second in the league with 39 goals. Othmann also has 39 assists and ranks seventh in the league with 78 total points. He's produced three or more points in a single game 10 times this season. Othmann is tied with teammate Zacharie Giroux with three shorthanded markers on the campaign, which is tied for fourth-most. Riley Piercey is second in scoring with 27 goals and 29 helpers through 50 games. He's also tied for sixth in the league and tied for first in franchise history with six game-winning goals. Piercey rides a four-game points streak (2 G, 2 A) into Friday's match. Amadeus Lombardi ranks third on the squad with 16 tallies and 32 helpers through 54 contests.
Veteran forwards Tag Bertuzzi and Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks) remain red hot in Flint's best playoff push, as well. Bertuzzi scored twice in London on Friday to reach 100 career points in the OHL and scored twice again on Saturday. He's currently on an eight-game point streak, with five tallies and seven helpers in that span. Keppen continues to contribute a point per game since returning to the squad mid-season, and now has 29 points (15 G, 14 A) through 29 tilts.
Coulson Pitre remains atop the scoresheet for rookies on the roster, now with 20 goals and 19 assists in 44 games played. He ranks inside the top-10 rankings for rookies in game-winning goals (T-2) with six, points-per-game average (2) at .89, goals (6), and total goals (T-6). While no rookie in Flint's history has ever scored three times in a single game, Pitre has now scored twice five different times. Fellow rookie Gavin Hayes, who hails from Westland, Mich. now has 14 goals and 21 assists in 52 games this season. Hayes is just four assists shy of tying former Firebirds' rearguard Vladislav Kolyachonok (Arizona Coyotes) for the most helpers by a rookie in the history books.
On defense, Tyler Deline carries the most points for the club with 35 (6 G, 29 A) in 53 tilts. He's tied for the sixth-most power-play helpers (17) among OHL defensemen. Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets) has the most goals (12) among Flint's rearguards and has 31 total points through 44 games played. Kuzmin's 12 markers are tied for the sixth-most among the OHL's blue-liners. Rookie defender Tristan Bertucci has a +/- rating of +24, which is the second-best among all rookies in the league and fifth-best among all rearguards.
Luke Cavallin carries a goals-against average (GAA) of 3.11 and the league's best save percentage (SV%) at .913 through 45 appearances. He's tied for the most wins in the league this season with 29. Rookie netminder Ian Michelone has appeared in eight games and picked up four victories. He carries a GAA of 4.03 and a SV% of .889. To date, Michelone is one of only two active OHL rookie goaltenders with a shutout this season. Nathaniel Day has two victories in six appearances, with a 3.30 GAA and a .879 SV%.
NHL: The Firebirds have four players on their roster with NHL ties consisting of Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Braeden Kressler (Toronto Maple Leafs), Dmitry Kuzmin (Winnipeg Jets), and Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers). Also, Gavin Hayes and Simon Slavicek were named to the 2022 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Draft Rankings.
Despite Flint playing in just five OHL seasons thus far, Alex Nedeljkovic (Carolina Hurricanes / Detroit Red Wings), Kole Sherwood (Columbus Blue Jackets), Ty Dellandrea (Dallas Stars), and Vladislav Kolyachonok (Arizona Coyotes) are four former Firebirds to play regular-season games in the NHL. Brennan Othmann (New York Rangers) and Firebirds' alumni Ethan Keppen (Vancouver Canucks), Vili Saarijarvi (Detroit Red Wings) and Jalen Smereck (Arizona Coyotes) have all played in NHL pre-season contests. In total, the team has produced 21 signed or drafted players into the NHL.
Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (31-18-6-1, 2nd West Division):
Rory Kerins (Calgary Flames) tops the Hounds on the scoresheet with 35 goals and 59 assists for 94 points in 55 games. He's tied for second in the league with eight game-winning goals, he has the third-most assists, third-most points, his 1.68 points-per-game average is sixth-best and his 23 power-play assists are tied for third. Tye Kartye sits second with 36 goals and 27 assists for 63 points through 50 contests. Kartye ranks first in power-play goals (19) and game-winning goals (9) and has the fourth-most goals scored in the OHL. Cole MacKay is third with 21 tallies and 58 total points through 48 games played.
Robert Calisti tops the rearguard unit with 19 goals and 24 assists in 53 games. Calisti has the most goals of any OHL defenseman, and he's tied with the second-most power-play tallies (6). The leader among the rookie class for the Greyhounds is Bryce McConnell-Barker, with 17 tallies and 20 helpers through 55 contests.
For the season, Tynan Tucker has appeared in 41 games this season, which is tied for the seventh-most. He's earned 17 wins and carries a 3.62 goals-against average (GAA) with a .887 save percentage (SV%). Samuel Ivanov has 17 wins and one shutout in 27 games played. Ivanov has a 3.42 GAA with a .880 SV%. True rookie Charlie Shenkel has two victories in seven appearances and sports a 3.51 GAA with an SV% of .843.
NHL: The Greyhounds have four players with NHL ties, including forwards Rory Kerins (Calgary Flames) and Tanner Dickinson (St. Louis Blues), and defensemen Ryan O'Rourke (Minnesota Wild) and Jack Thompson (Tampa Bay Lightning). Additionally, Bryce McConnell-Barker, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Tyler Savard, and goaltender Charlie Schenkel were named to the NHL Central Scouting's Midterm Rankings for the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft.
25 notable Greyhounds' alumni to play in the NHL are Wayne Gretzky, Jeff Beukeboom, Bob Boughner, Jeff Carter, Dan Clouthier, Paul Coffey, Trevor Daley, Ray Emery, Adam Foote, Ron Francis, Craig Hartsburg, Ric Jackman, Dustin Jeffrey, Tyler Kennedy, Denny Lambert, Greg Millen, Ted Nolan, Nathan Perrott, Bob Probert, Wayne Simmons, Brad Staubitz, Steve Sullivan, Joe Thornton, Rick Tocchet, John Vanbiesbrouk, and Josef Vasick. Greyhounds (31-17-6-1, 2nd West Division):
Broadcast Coverage:
Friday's contest against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds can be heard live on the radio throughout Flint & Mid-Michigan on US 103.1 FM, online at www.us103.com, or by downloading the US 103 app here. Jack Sznewajs will call the play-by-play action on the Firebirds Hockey Network (FHN). Pregame coverage will begin prior to puck drop at 6:45 p.m. (ET) Friday evening.
The game will also be televised live across the province of Ontario on the OHL Action Pak on channel 466 (4466 HD) for both Rogers TV and Cogeco TV cable subscribers. OHL fans with cable television in Ontario can add the OHL Action Pak to their television plan to catch the Firebirds in action, home or away all season long.
Also, all Flint Firebirds' home and away games throughout the 2021-22 regular season can be watched anywhere in the world online on https://watch.chl.ca/ohl. CHL TV is the league's new and improved video streaming platform that delivers high-quality live and on-demand coverage of all regular season and playoff games annually. The cost is $6.99 for 24-hour access, $24.99 for monthly access, $109.99 for all-access to the 2021-22 Firebirds and OHL season, or $159.99 for all-access to the entire 2021-22 CHL season.
Next Up: The Firebirds are right back in action on home ice Saturday, when they host the Windsor Spitfires. Saturday's game is Whaley's Super Hero Night, sponsored by Shea Automotive Group. The Firebirds will be wearing special Spider-Man-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off post-game with all the proceeds set to benefit Whaley Children's Center by Tim Narhi Auctioneer & Associates, LLC. Fans can bring a minimum of 3 hygiene products for a FREE ticket to Saturday's game! Items being collected are Conditioner, Body Wash, Cocoa Butter Lotion, African American Hair Care Products, and any/all Hypoallergenic Hygiene Items for Sensitive Skin. All donations will benefit the Whaley Children's Center and the collection takes place at the Box Office, during normal business hours. Additional tickets are available for purchase at Etix.com.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2022
- Knights Top Line Combines for 11 Points in 8-5 Loss to London - Saginaw Spirit
- Greyhounds Win Barn Burner 8-7 over Firebirds in Shootout - Flint Firebirds
- Rangers Top Otters 4-3 - Kitchener Rangers
- Hoffmann's Late Shorthanded Goal Not Enough in 4-3 Loss at Kitchener - Erie Otters
- Costantini Marvellous in Bulldogs 3-1 Victory - Brantford Bulldogs
- First-Place Firebirds Host Greyhounds in Big-Time Division Showdown Friday - Flint Firebirds
- Spirit Travel to London Friday Night - Saginaw Spirit
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